IT Executive news

• When life gives you a 3D printer, make a house

  06-03-2017 23:44
  
  Russia now has its very first 3D-printed house. The 'construction' process only took about 24 hours and came in around $10,000. The structure is only 38 square meters (about 400 square feet) and includes a kitchen, living room and bathroom. On its website, Apis Cor claims that this is the first house to be printed on site rather than being assembled from pre-printed pieces made at an alternate location. This was possible thanks to the company's mobile 3D printer and concrete mixer
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Nintendo Switch introduces a new concept for consoles

  06-03-2017 23:16
  
  Nintendo has a history of introducing new ideas along with its new game consoles. Wii brought Wii Remote controllers, which allowed users to interact with games using gestures. Later, both Microsoft and Sony copied the idea for their own consoles. Wii U was an attempt, albeit a disappointing one, to add portability to its console by embedding a screen into the game controller. Nintendo 3DS brought 3D without the need of special glasses. Now the company is back with Nintendo Switch (find it on Am
  
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• GE favors SaaS for non-differentiated apps, moves away from MPLS, has big plans for IoT

  06-03-2017 23:06
  
  GE is rethinking many aspects of IT, including its internal reporting structure, where and how it supports apps, and how it networks its 4,500 offices.  Network World Editor in Chief John Dix got an update from Chris Drumgoole, Chief Technology Officer of IT.GE Chris Drumgoole, GE Chief Technology Officer of IT
  As Chief Technology Officer for GE IT (GE also has a CTO on the product side), how do you work with the IT teams in the business units?To read this article in full or to leave
  
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• BrandPost: The 5 Phases of Today’s Analytic Workflow

  06-03-2017 22:55
  
  The transition to a self-service-based, modern business intelligence model requires IT to adopt a collaborative approach that includes the business in all aspects of the overall program.
  This transition often involves choosing the right modern analytics platform. During this selection process, both the business and IT should assess each platform's ability to execute on the modern analytics workflow.
  5 components of the modern analytics workflowThe modern analytic workflow is a cycle of five int
  
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• Think twice before you hire a chief AI officer

  06-03-2017 22:45
  
  SAN FRANCISCO -- Artificial intelligence (AI) will become so instrumental to corporate revenue growth that businesses should hire a chief artificial intelligence officer to spearhead AI initiatives, says Andrew Ng, who drives global AI strategy at Chinese search giant Baidu. Not so fast, says Neil Jacobstein, chair of artificial intelligence and robotics at Singularity University, who isn't a fan of companies centralizing leadership for AI functions.The two clashed on the topic here last week at
  
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• Trump’s revised travel ban may still hurt tech

  06-03-2017 22:23
  
  President Donald Trump's revised travel ban, released Monday, ensures that H-1B visa workers from banned countries won't have problems as long as they stay in the U.S. But if they take a trip abroad, they could have trouble returning.
  The changes unveiled today are technical, and immigration attorneys will be waiting for the U.S. State Department to clarify the rules. In the meantime, what may be a greater issue is how the move by Trump affects immigration and travel.[ Discuss this story. Join
  
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• Fitbit's Alta HR adds heart-rate monitoring

  06-03-2017 22:07
  
  In its aim to offer a wearable device for every conceivable user profile, Fitbit has announced Alta HR. The company says it’s “the world’s slimmest wrist-based, continuous heart rate tracking device.”
  Alta HR is priced at $150 and up, depending upon the styling. That’s the same price as Fitbit’s best-in-class Charge 2, which also tracks heart rate but is larger and offers more features than Alta HR.
  (The original Alta, which doesn’t track heart rate, re
  
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• Facebook confirms testing a dislike emoji for Messenger

  06-03-2017 21:54
  
  Facebook executives have been weighing whether or not to introduce a dislike button, or something similar to it, for years.
  Now it seems the social network is taking a big step in possibly giving users something similar to the dislike button they've been asking for.
  A spokesperson for Facebook's Messenger app confirmed to Computerworld today that they are running a small test of something akin to a dislike option.
  "We're always testing ways to make Messenger more fun and engaging," she said. "T
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: How to use Nintendo Switch with PlayStation VR

  06-03-2017 21:33
  
  For the last hour, I have been playing the Legend Of Zelda on the 226" screen of my PlayStation VR (PSVR).Yes, you read that right. And, yes, I'm aware that Zelda isn't available for PS4 and that it's exclusive to Nintendo. But PlayStation VR (find it on Amazon) can be used with any device that has HDMI out. (That’s one of the reasons I prefer it over other virtual solutions.) So I thought of trying it out with my brand new Nintendo Switch (find it on Amazon). It totally worked.To read thi
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Duel of the rugged notebooks

  06-03-2017 21:20
  
  In North America, most rugged notebooks are sold by two companies: Panasonic and Dell. Panasonic, the traditional leader, launched the first commercially successful rugged notebook business in the autumn of 1996 and still has more than half the market for “full rugged,” the most robust category. Dell is the challenger, with a beachhead in full rugged and a solid position in “semi” rugged, the faster-growing business-class category. I’ve covered both companies over t
  
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• Consumer Reports to grade tech products on security, privacy

  06-03-2017 21:06
  
  Consumer Reports, a major source for gadget and appliance reviews in the U.S., plans to start rating products on data security and privacy.On Monday, the non-profit publication unveiled a set of new testing standards it hopes will push the tech industry to create safer products."The goal is to help consumers understand which digital products do the most to protect their privacy and security, and give them the most control over their personal data," the publication said.Already, cybersecurit
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Why Android 2.0 won't save the smartwatch

  06-03-2017 20:42
  
  Over the past few months, there has been a discussion among tech gurus about whether the smartwatch, so hyped a few years ago, is doomed. Optimists can point to the success of the Apple Watch, which dominated the smartwatch market in the 2016 4Q as it accounted for half of smartwatch sales and over 75 percent of revenue. Pessimists can point to the fall of smartwatch startup Pebble, Fitbit, and other manufacturers’ ongoing struggles, and observe that many people still are uncertain about w
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: 34 Latin-X startups to watch in 2017

  06-03-2017 19:48
  
  Latin America is quickly becoming a major hub for entrepreneurship and startups. Not only buoyed by a vast, young population, Latin American economies are growing at a fast pace. This has made entrepreneurship attractive to direct investment and a deep talent pool of professionals in the area.While many of the most popular startups have exited or have listed on a stock exchange, there are still many Latin American startups, known in the community as “Latin-X,” to get excited about. W
  
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• 83% off TechMatte Air Vent Magnetic Universal Car Mount for Smartphones, 2 Pack - Deal Alert

  06-03-2017 19:48
  
  The MagGrip Vent Car Mount is a sturdy, cradle-less device holding system focused on simplicity. Pop it onto your car's air vent, and magnets do all the work. Currently a 2-pack is discounted significantly to just $8 on Amazon, where the product averages 4.5 out of 5 stars from over 7,000 people. See this deal now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Best Buy just knocked $150 off HP's newest 13.3-inch Spectre x360 2-in-1

  06-03-2017 19:38
  We loved the latest HP Spectre x360 13 when we reviewed it in December. Compared to the first iteration, it’s lighter, a little bit narrower (in a good way), and thinner. And right now at Best Buy, it’s also a little bit cheaper.
  The newest HP Spectre x360 is currently on sale for $1,049. That’s still a hefty sum, but it’s cheaper than the $1,200 sticker price and lower than prices we’re seeing elsewhere.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please cl
  
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• Researchers link Middle East attacks to new victim in Europe

  06-03-2017 19:25
  
  Kaspersky Labs announced new research this morning that shows some links between the massive Shamoon attack that took down 35,000 computers in Saudi Arabia to a new attack against a target in Europe.
  The Shamoon attack, which occurred in 2012, was followed by a series of related against against Gulf States earlier this year. The attacks were widely attributed to Iran.
  The new malware, called StoneDrill, is, like Shamoon, a wiper -- it destroys all the data on a computer.To read this article in
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Prioritizing IT projects has never mattered more

  06-03-2017 19:00
  
  Selecting the wrong projects, which don’t deliver strategic value or the required ROI can impact the bottom line and mean that your business reduces its chance of hitting targets and achieving goals. You should take a day or two (or longer if your portfolio and budgets demand more) and focus on the prioritization and selection of projects and proposals so that you only commit to the "right" projects for the organization.
  How to prioritize? How often should you do this?1. Business case fir
  
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• MapR and Outscale partner on big data PaaS

  06-03-2017 18:52
  
  At the Big Data Paris event in Paris, France, today, MapR Technologies and French enterprise-class cloud provider Outscale announced that they have joined forces to provide a big data platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offering built on the MapR Converged Data Platform.
  Outscale will provide the new premium cloud service in Europe, North America and Asia and says it will provide customers with a cost-effective and flexible platform to support their big data journey — from initial proof of conce
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Recharge your knowledge of the modern data warehouse

  06-03-2017 18:44
  
  Are you comfortable with source systems feeding ETL processes into operational data stores or master reference data through an enterprise service bus with the product, supply chain and business operational reports dumped into a presentation layer with soft analytics, dashboards, alerts and scorecards? That was yesterday.Don’t get caught, explaining your new data warehouse initiative with old terminology.Traditional vs. modern data warehouses
  Data warehouses are not designed for transa
  
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• Amazon shows why you shouldn’t put all your tech eggs in one cloud basket

  06-03-2017 17:50
  
  When Amazon’s S3 cloud storage service at Amazon’s US-EAST-1 data centers went down, things went bad. Very, very bad.
  How bad? Popular sites such as Quora, Business Insider, Netflix, Reddit and Slack either crashed entirely or were broken. By SimilarTech’s count, over 124,000 sites were affected. A college student told me, “It’s knocked out my school’s technology back end. Students are freaking out because they can’t access assignments.” A cloud c
  
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• Amazon Echo adds Office 365 calendar integration

  06-03-2017 17:44
  
  Amazon's Alexa added a new productivity skill to its tool set after we inadvertently discovered in mid-February.
  The smart assistant—embedded in the Echo line of smart speakers, as well as many other devices—now works with Office 365 business accounts, officially. That means anyone using Office 365 for work can now get their calendar updates from their smart speaker at home or in the office, as TechCrunch first reported.
  Office 365 isn’t the first calendar to wo
  
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• Parting advice from Howard Schmidt

  06-03-2017 16:39
  
  I’ve known Howard Schmidt for close to 20 years, and as people talk about his legacy, I think of him in a different way. Most people know of his accolades and executive positions. I know him as a friend I would have dinners with in some great places around the world. We both served on boards for various companies, as well as professional societies. ■ RELATED: Infosec mourns over Howard Schmidt, who helped make the country a safer placeThe one thing that was most notable about Howard
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: iPhone: How often do you upgrade?

  06-03-2017 16:32
  Apple introduces a new iPhone each year. Some years the latest iPhone features a big redesign of the hardware, while at other times the company offers a tweaked version of the same hardware.But how often do you upgrade your iPhone? This question came up recently in the Apple subreddit. I’ll share my thoughts below, but here’s a selection of messages from that discussion thread.Mir_universal started the discussion with this message:
  I heard that iPhone users are more likely to upgrade
  
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• Aruba’s top execs talk new tech, IoT and the competition

  06-03-2017 16:23
  
  In the roughly two years since Aruba Networks was acquired by HPE, it’s become the larger company’s de facto wireless arm, more or less taking over HPE’s existing networking division and changing almost not at all after the merger.Network World sat down with Senior Vice President and General Manager Keerti Melkote and CTO Partha Narasimhan at Aruba’s annual Atmosphere conference in Nashville last week to talk about future wireless technology, security, and more.+ ALSO ON
  
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• 7 tips for managing an IT outsourcing contract

  06-03-2017 16:13
  
  IT organizations put great focus into drawing up their outsourcing contracts, but those agreements alone do not guarantee satisfactory outcomes. Attorney Brad Peterson has seen it time and time again. “Time and money are spent on drafting the contract—often a substantial amount of money. And a tremendous amount of potential value is created in that contract,” says Peterson, partner in Mayer Brown’s Chicago office and leader of its technology transactions practice.But then
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: How can you predict the costs of a data breach for your company?

  06-03-2017 16:08
  
  A common fear of privacy officers is a data breach, the unauthorized acquisition or processing of personal information that is maintained by an organization. The fear is enhanced by some IT security folks reminding us that “there are two types of companies, those that have been breached and those that don’t know they’ve been breached.” I don’t know any privacy officer that gets a warm and fuzzy feeling when hearing that.Anticipating the cost of a data breach
  When I
  
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• Microsoft's update shrinking reduces Windows 10 Insider betas by 65%

  06-03-2017 15:44
  
  Microsoft last week repeated its assertion that future Windows 10 feature upgrades will shrink in size later this year, and supported the claim with a smattering of data.
  Those running Windows 10's preview, labeled "Insider," will see the largest reductions in download size, the data showed. MicrosoftWindows 10's new update delivery system reduces the size of downloads -- in this case by 65% for an Insider refresh (in green) -- compared to a full-install "canonical" update (in blue), by sending
  
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• US DOJ drops child porn case to avoid disclosing Tor exploit

  06-03-2017 15:39
  
  The U.S. Department of Justice is asking a federal court to dismiss its indictment in a case that involves a child porn site known as Playpen after a judge asked the government to disclose the hacking technique it used to gather evidence."The government must now choose between disclosure of classified information and dismissal of its indictment," the DOJ said in a court filing Friday. "Disclosure is not currently an option."The case involves Jay Michaud, a school administrator from Vancouver, Wa
  
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• 9% off Vilros Raspberry Pi 3 Complete Starter Kit - Deal Alert

  06-03-2017 15:27
  
  If you're looking to get started with Raspberry Pi, this Raspberry PI Complete Starter Kit comes with everything you need. And right now you'll save some bucks buying it on Amazon with this 9% off deal ($67.99 -- See it now on Amazon). The Vilros kit contains:Raspberry Pi 3 (RPi3) Model B Quad-Core 1.2 GHz 1 GB RAM
  Raspberry Pi Transparent Enclosure Case -- includes mounting slot and screws for a raspberry pi camera module (sold separately) 
  Sandisk 32 GB Micro SD Card Preloaded with NOOBS
  
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• Content management tools: Features users love and hate

  06-03-2017 15:26
  
  When enterprise tech managers consider a content management system, they want it to be easy to administer, easy to customize for their organizatio, and capable of keeping the content secure.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• With Alta HR, Fitbit turns its most stylish device into a cardio machine

  06-03-2017 15:00
  
  Fitbit doesn’t quit. The reigning maker of fitness-tracking bands has a new band, the ultra-slim heart rate-monitoring Alta HR, and I got a chance to put it to the test during a spin class at a Midtown Manhattan fitness studio last week. I’ve largely avoided the spin craze until now, but on this particular day I was front and center as class instructor Julianne Hough, professional dancer/singer/Fitbit spokeswoman/cardio queen, cheerfully encouraged the class to pedal along to the bl
  
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• Okta acquires Stormpath to boost its identity services for developers

  06-03-2017 15:00
  
  Okta has acquired Stormpath, a company that provides authentication services for developers. The deal should help the identity provider improve its developer-facing capabilities.Stormpath offered developers a set of tools for managing user logins for their apps. Rather than building a login system from scratch, developers could call the Stormpath API and have the company take care of it for them. Frederic Kerrest, Okta’s co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, said that the acquisition sho
  
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• Google faces new antitrust investigation in Turkey

  06-03-2017 14:51
  
  Antitrust concerns about Google's tying of its app store and services to use of the Android OS are spreading, as Turkey's Competition Board has opened an inquiry, reversing an earlier decision.Russian search company Yandex filed a complaint with the board in 2015, alleging that Google requires smartphone manufacturers to pre-load Google Play Store, Google Play Services and Google Mobile Services on any Android devices they sell, and to make Google Search the default search provider on those devi
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: The future of work is today. Are you ready?

  06-03-2017 14:00
  
  Look out! In workplaces across the globe, conventional wisdom is being thrown out the window. Everything around us seems to be in flux — from how we conduct ourselves to how we manage others.In my work with business leaders and teams around the world, I see too many companies missing out — still operating according to 20th century mindsets, practices and technologies.I also see the careers of too many gifted individuals needlessly stalled and ended, because of ignorance or fearful re
  
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• Preparing for the 15-year future

  06-03-2017 13:05
  
  We are transiting a moment of massive uncertainty. The ambiguous road ahead requires making a prediction about predictions. I predict that in 15 years, 85% of the predictions, forecasts and trends set forth by the academics, analysts, futurists and economists (maybe not the economists — their accuracy is increasingly suspect) will influence much of what happens day to day in business.
  For IT executives, accelerating change will require them to constantly ask themselves, “What i
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Spring cleaning

  06-03-2017 13:00
  
  It won't be spring for a couple more weeks, but spring is a great time of year to clean things up and to clear things out, so I figured we'd all want to be ahead of the game. This aptly named "spring cleaning" can be done any time of the year, but I find I am usually in the right frame of mind for it after a long, gray winter in Chicago. Re-organizing, or organizing, your work life can make room for the big ideas and innovations that really get you excited, so let's dive in!Physical cleanin
  
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• 6 things you might not know about the LG G6

  06-03-2017 13:00
  
  The G6 was the big news at Mobile World Congress, and surely you’ve already heard all about its headline features: the small bezels, the 18:9 aspect ratio screen, the sealed battery.
  But now that we’ve spent a little more time with the G6, we’ve found a few things that you might not know about. While anyone who’s used a previous LG phone will immediately recognize some of the G6’s finer features—like knock-to-wake and the ability to add five lock screen short
  
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• Surface Book vs. Porsche Design Book One: A specs comparison

  06-03-2017 12:30
  
  Ooh. Shiny. When Porsche Design unveiled its Book One at Mobile World Congress, Microsoft’s premium Surface Book finally had a rival for Best Trophy Laptop—the one you buy not because you need it, but because you can afford the best.
  We haven’t tested the Book One yet—it doesn’t ship until April—but we can compare its specs to those of the Surface Book closest in price and specs. Run through the list with us and see if you agree on which device is most drool-
  
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• How microcertifications work for IT job seekers and employers

  06-03-2017 12:24
  
  Organizations struggling to fill high-demand tech roles -- like Linux or cybersecurity, for instance -- often look at certifications to benchmark a candidate's skills and real-world experience and gauge their potential for success on the job. But for job seekers, certifications are expensive, time-consuming and often don't accurately assess the hands-on skills needed to succeed in a role.For many IT job seekers and the organizations that would hire them, microcertifications -- or microcredential
  
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• Why more Chief Strategy and Risk Officers need a seat at the security table

  06-03-2017 12:22
  
  For years the evolving role of chief information security officers has increasingly required them to think more like a chief risk or strategy officer and anticipate cyber threats before they happen. Now a perfect storm is brewing that may finally push risk management and strategy roles to the forefront of cybersecurity.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• IT Resume Makeover: Find focus by building a theme

  06-03-2017 12:20
  
  Do you have trouble establishing a cohesive focus for your resume? That was the case for this IT Resume Makeover candidate, Bhairav Sampath, whose name has been changed for this article. He knew his resume needed to offer some clarity on what he brings to the table.
  To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• How to remotely control your Windows 10 computer via Google Chrome

  06-03-2017 12:12
  Google provides a free and powerful tool, Chrome Remote Desktop, that lets you connect to and control your Windows 10 computer over the internet. (It also works with Windows 7 and Windows 8.) The computer has to be running Chrome, of course, and you also need a Gmail account to sign in to Chrome in order to use this feature.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• WebAssembly is now ready for browsers to use

  06-03-2017 12:00
  
  WebAssembly, a portable code format that could make for a faster web, has moved to minimum viable product (MVP) status, with browser vendors now able to switch WebAssembly on by default.
  A recent bulletin from Mozilla Senior Staff Engineer Luke Wagner said representatives of the four major browsers agreed that the design and binary format were complete to the extent that no further design work was doable without implementation experience and significant usage. Browsers represented included Goog
  
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• U.S. suspends fast-track H-1B processing, blames backlog

  06-03-2017 12:00
  
  The White House decision to suspend premium processing for H-1B visa holders is being blamed on a visa backlog. It will affect some people seeking visas who may be in need of this fast-track system.
  The U.S. government is hoping that its decision to suspend premium processing,announced late Friday, leads to an improvement in overall processing times.
  President Donald Trump has talked about moving to a "merit-based" H-1B system instead of a lottery, but the administration has been mum on details
  
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• Serverless computing: Freedom for devs at last

  06-03-2017 12:00
  
  Serverless computing provides a great opportunity for developers seeking relief from the burden of infrastructure. By abstracting away everything but a block of code, the serverless model makes it faster for developers to iterate and deploy new code, enabling smaller teams with smaller budgets to do things that only big companies could do before. Or, as Mat Ellis, founder and CEO of Cloudability, recently said in a CloudCast episode, “Serverless attempts to industrialize developer impact.
  
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• Lawmakers try again to stop call center offshoring

  06-03-2017 12:00
  
  Lawmakers in the U.S. Senate and the House reintroduced legislation Thursday intended to impede the offshore outsourcing of call centers.
  The bills, called the U.S. Call Center and Consumer Protection Act, if approved, would create a list of firms that shift work overseas. Firms on that list would be ineligible for federal grants and loans, and call center workers will be required to disclose their locations. U.S. customers would have the right to request that their calls are transferred to a c
  
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• It’s all Greek to me! 5 foreign language learning apps

  06-03-2017 12:00
  
  It's a small world -- and getting smaller every day. Becoming fluent in a foreign language can be the catalyst that puts your career on the fast track in this global economy.
  That said, it's not always easy to find the time, or the right app, to jumpstart your effort.
  These five language learning apps try to make it easy -- and fun -- to get started. All have a selection of languages to choose from, but their approaches to teaching languages differ widely.[ Free download: Mobile management vend
  
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• IBM's new Q program to include a 50-qubit quantum computer

  06-03-2017 06:05
  
  Characters named Q in film and TV have been portrayed as being exceptional. Q in the James Bond movies served up futuristic gadgets, and Q in Star Trek was omnipotent.A new quantum computing program called Q at IBM will be remarkable in its own right. In a few years, IBM plans to create a quantum computer with more than 50 qubits, which should push conventional computers one step closer to the trash heap.IBM Q will deliver paid quantum computing consulting and services to users. It's much l
  
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• Ford tests 3D printer that can manufacture car parts of any size and shape

  06-03-2017 06:01
  
  Ford today said it will be the first automaker to test a new 3D printer that can build parts of unlimited size. The company is also testing the printer to make prototypes of one-piece auto parts that could be used in production of future vehicles.
  The use of a 3D printer capable of manufacturing parts of unlimited size and shape "could be a breakthrough for vehicle manufacturing," the automaker stated in a news release.
  Ford is testing the Stratasys Infinite-Build 3D printer, which was one of t
  
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